Tomato Basil Fish Soup Makes: 4 servings.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or preferably coconut oil)
• 1 leek, white part only, finely sliced and washed
• 2 celery stalks, sliced, 20g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced, 500ml fish stock
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g extra ripe tomatoes, diced
• 800g fish fillets (blue-eye, flathead or ling) cut into 4 cm pieces
• Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated, 2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add leek, celery, garlic and fennel and cook for 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add stock and tomatoes to the saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice gently, reserving a little parsley and zest to garnish. Season to taste.

Variations: Replace the fish stock with chicken or vegetable stock.

Osso Bucco and Chickpea Soup Makes: 4 servings.

• 200g chickpeas, dried, 3 litres water, 400g osso bucco
• 1 onion, sliced, 2 rosemary sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 1 large carrot, sliced
• 3 large sprigs of parsley, 1 small sweet potato, peeled and sliced,
• 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced, 1 leek, white part only, washed and sliced
• 800g extra ripe tomatoes, diced
• 125g tomato paste (concentrated puree)
• 300g broccoli florets, 200g green beans, sliced

Place the chickpeas and one litre of water into a large saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, cover and cook for one minute. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for one hour. Drain the chickpeas and add one litre of fresh water.

Bring the water to a boil again and then add the osso bucco, onion and herbs. Cover and simmer gently for one and a half hours. Remove, discard the bay leaves and herbs. Refrigerate the soup so that any fat will rise to the surface. Skim the fat from the top of the soup and remove the osso bucco. Remove the meat from the bones and set aside.

Return soup to the stovetop, adding the carrot, potato, parsnip, leek, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add the osso bucco meat, broccoli and beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Prepare this soup a day in advance and leave to enhance the flavours. Serve in large bowls.

Variations: Thin the soup with extra water or stock, if desired. You can use vegetables other than the ones listed. For a vegetarian soup, simply do not use osso bucco.

Homemade Vegetable Soup Makes: 4 servings.

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (or preferably coconut oil)
• 1 large onion, diced, 1 small chilli, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons coriander, ground, 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1 litre vegetable stock or water, 800g extra ripe tomatoes, diced
• 200g mushrooms, sliced, 250g green lentils, 125g celery, sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced, 1 red capsicum, diced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, chilli, coriander, and cumin over low heat for three-four minutes. Add the vegetable stock or water, tomatoes, mushrooms, lentils, celery, carrot and capsicum. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25-35 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Lentil cooking times can vary between brands and types, so be sure to check the lentils towards the end of the cooking time. The lentils should be soft, but not turned to mash. Serve the soup in large bowls and sprinkle with parsley.